The Mother
by Giacinta
Summary: The Impala watches over her boys. The brothers as seen by the third member of the Winchester family. Each chapter is a separate story. Chapter Seven The Impala does not like being parked in the garage, so she comes up with an idea.
1. Chapter 1

She crouches by the road-side, sleek, poised and alert, darker than the blackest panther and, like a panther, she keeps vigil over her cubs.

They were stretched out on her lap, long legs touching, their backs reclining on her ample bosom.

She watched lazily as they joked with one another. Good job her hood was forged of sturdy steel for her boys were no light-weights.

x

How quickly they had become adults.  
>She cast her memory back to how they had grown-up on and around her worn leather seats, how they had laughed and cried, eaten and slept, loved and bled on those very seats.<p>

Their DNA was part of her now, ingrained into her leather, wood and metal; one more link in the chain that kept her tied body and soul to her offspring.

Well, not only the boys' DNA, for that matter.

There was a spattering of John's for sure, but she didn't want to dwell on him as he hadn't treated her boys as they deserved, never giving them a stable home, absent most of the time and leaving her two little cubs in tatty motel rooms to defend themselves, alone, from all kinds of evil.

There might also have been some DNA from the occasional unremembered girls that her oldest had often entertained in her back seat while he was growing-up!

x

Not just girls.  
>She recalled the angel, nice girl. Anna was her name.<p>

They steamed up her windows so bad and covered the glass with so many finger marks that it had taken an hour for Dean to polish it all up.  
>Too bad how the angel had finished up!<p>

Her younger hadn't been quite so lucky with the ladies.  
>When his brother went to Hell, his desperation was so great that he left himself wide open to all that evil that wanted him so bad.<p>

That unsavoury demon, Ruby, convinced him that he was doing the right thing and brought both my boys to the pit of despair.

If I could have gotten my wheels on top of her I would have turned her into a flat pancake, but my two got rid of her in the end.

You don't mess with mine, witch!

x

My poor cubs, how they have suffered, but they have never neglected their old lady.

Both the times I was near death's door those boys patched me up real well, especially Dean. He didn't leave my side until I was up and about and he spoiled me no end, always polishing me up and whispering encouraging words until I was better than new.

Yup, I've been witness to so many moments, from joy to desperation, not to mention my own as Dean will insist on singing off-key along with the tapes.  
>It's a pity he didn't install ear plugs when he made me over.<br>Oh, well, at least I can count my blessings in that Sam doesn't burst into song quite so often, for he's a worse singer than his brother!

She settles back down as she watches the boys take their weight off her hood and put their feet down on the grassy road-side, their faces relaxed and serene.

She doesn't recall them being so carefree for such a long time, for years maybe, but now they are back together, older, wiser and more connected than ever.

She hears the doors opening. Her precious cargo is safely sprawled on her front seat and she is ready to take them to their destination, whenever and wherever that may be.

x

The End


	2. Chapter 2

Her Boys

X

If the Impala had truly been that flesh and blood black panther that she reminded one of, she would have been purring contentedly at that moment.

Dean had just washed and waxed her paintwork until she gleamed, then filled her capacious petrol tank to the brim and parked

her in this comfortable shady spot in the diner's parking lot.

X

God bless that boy, nobody could give her a waxing like he could.

Sam of course had sat back, nose immersed in a book as Dean worked up an appetite making her glow like a black diamond, quite happy for his brother to have exclusive rights on prettying her up.

X

The parking lot belonged to a Biggerson's Restaurant; Dean loved the food there and had fond memories of the free meals for a

year that they had won as the restaurant's one millionth customers, thanks to one really ambiguous rabbit's foot!

She watched them lazily through the diner's large windows, content with the fact that for the time being no danger was

threatening them.

They were sitting across from each other, brothers and best friends, talking animatedly and occasionally laughing at some stupid

remark, usually Dean's.

He loved to see Sam unleash that sun-filled smile of his, happy to play the fool if that's what it took to keep him from

brooding on Hell and on that damn flimsy wall that Death had put up in his sibling's head.

X

The Impala's metal heart warmed.

Her boys were so wrapped up in one another, it was unbelievable; each was the other's entire world.

Oh, they saved people on a daily basis, most of the time in incognito and very often without receiving thanks of any kind for

having endangered their own lives for complete strangers, but still that was their mission and they just kept on going, having no

other ambition now than saving as many innocents as they could before that inevitable moment when they themselves would

become the victims, and their hunting legacy would pass on to someone else.

X

She sighed.

She would have wanted so much more for her beautiful boys, but after everything she had witnessed she didn't hold out great

hopes of hosting any more little Winchesters on her leather seats. Fate however, always has a way of surprising you and no-one

could really know what the future had in store for Sam and Dean.

X

This period was all in all a happy time for them, but she had shared in so many unhappy ones; when she and Dean had roared to

the crossroads and the distraught boy had sold his soul for his little brother's life, or when Sam was alone for six desperate

months because of the Trickster's cruel way of trying to teach him that he would have to live on alone without his brother when

Dean was dragged to Hell.

Only two of so many terrible moments, but perhaps the worst of all was in Stull Cemetery while Dean had been forced to watch his little brother throw himself voluntarily into the Cage to stop the Apocalypse.

X

Dean was destroyed after that.

He spent hours just sitting inside her, head bowed down on her steering wheel, crying his eyes out for his brother; for the torture at the hands of Lucifer that he knew would be Sam's fate for the rest of eternity; and for himself, destined to live out what remained of his life without the other half of his soul.

But it was that self-same thought that had re-animated him, and he had driven her all the way to Lisa's repeating over and overthat he wouldn't stop until he got Sam out of the Cage.

Any promises he had made to Sam were worthless if they went against Sam's well- being!

The Impala's poor heart which had broken along with Dean's, took hope in the thought that he was ready to do anything to get

his brother back.

X

But she had some good memories too.

The two of them when they were younger, curled up on her back seat together like two sleeping puppy dogs.

John hadn't been as attentive to her needs as Dean was now, and at times her heating system had been on the blink, and the only warmth had come from their huddled bodies and an old blanket that John would throw over them.

Then there was the way they found pleasure in small things; the giggling and laughter they shared even although they owned nothing that normal kids had, substituting guns and knives for the toys and games of their acquaintances.

X

She often wondered how their life would have been if John had opted for a different path; had chosen to give his boys an easier

life, a home, friends maybe even remarried and given Sam and Dean other siblings.

Would they have still been as inseparable and shackled to one another by those invisible chains that were invisible to everyone

except to her?

Well, there was no point in dwelling on what might have been.

The brothers were what life and destiny had moulded them to be; separate but indivisible.

X

She settled down pleasurably to wait for her charges to finish.

She was getting on in years and a little rest now and then was welcome, but that didn't mean she couldn't rise to the occasion when necessary, her tough steel body and powerful engine always at the ready to serve her boys.

"Semper fidelis" was HER motto too; those prissy Marines had nothing on her! She was a bona-fide assistant ghost-buster!

X

Sometime later, she cocked an ear as she heard the droning of boys' approaching voices.

Sam was bitching to Dean about bolting down his food in an unhealthy manner and talking with his mouth full, causing his brother to snark back about Sam's absurd preference for limp rabbit food and how the hell he managed to keep his gigantor body upright, feeding only on that green stuff.

"That's not true, Dean! I eat meat too, just not those cholesterol-filled greasy burgers that you devour," she heard Sam retort

clearly now, as he curled a hand around her door-handle.

"Shut up, bitch," was Dean's educated reply as he rounded the hood to get to the driver's side, "Hamburgers are God."

If she had been blessed with eyes, she would have rolled them; just another normal day in the life of her beloved Winchester

boys.

XXXX The enD XXXX


	3. Chapter 3

X

Chapter Three

X

"Winchester Love"

X

I love my boys with all my heart but I was really impatient for Dean to get wherever it was that he was going tonight.

My tyres were hot and sticky with the hours passed on the road, and badly in need of a top-up of compressed air; not to mention

that my engine was overheating too. To put it mildly I desperately needed a rest in some motel parking lot for the remainder of

the night.

X

Sam was no better off than me, folded into my front passenger seat like a concertina. I'm well aware that the boy's past growing

age but I 'm convinced that now and then he shoots up an extra inch or two when nobody's looking! His tousled head had gone

from cushioning itself on my window-pane to falling boneless onto Dean's shoulder, eliciting nothing more than a fond smile from

his older sibling.

X

Dean's love for his gigantic little brother knew no bounds. I had been witness to many episodes of that throughout their

chequered life, and I knew that his heart held little room in it for anyone else other than Sam.

What room was left however, belonged to me; yes to me! A no longer quite so young black 1967 Chevy Impala!

I was that one lucky girl, so passionately loved by Dean Winchester.

X

The love we shared was pure, open and faithful. When we were together I got to see the true Dean, unlike those poor girls who

only got to interact with him on a fleeting one night stand, and who would never be privy to his inner beauty; that beauty which

he himself denied possessing, considering himself a black-hearted, unworthy being.

A consideration that was so far from the truth!

X

No-one had seen him as I had, not even Sammy. I had been witness so many times to his soul-baring, usually over his presumed

failings towards his little brother. Only I got to see him without the emotional armour he surrounded himself with whenever there

were others present. How I yearned to be able to comfort him on those occasions, but my extras didn't include a voice with which

to soothe his hurt, or tears which I could have spilled right along there with him.

X

And what of my younger boy, Sammy!

X

If one could call a six foot four, gigantic, super- experienced, strong and dangerous hunter like Sam Winchester now was, a

friendly puppy dog, well that's exactly what he was.

Destiny had been more than cruel to him and yet it had compensated that cruelty by making him the one shining light of

Dean Winchester's existence, and as such had given him a Champion that would defend and care for him against all odds; Heaven

and Hell included.

X

Once when they were younger, Dean had thought that this responsibility went one way only, from him to Sammy but with the

passing of time and hard experience, he came to understand that he was wrong; for Sam loved and cared for Dean with the

self-same intensity as Dean did for Sam.

X

I had been witness to his emotion-filled words at Cold Oak after Dean had been forced to admit selling his soul for his younger

sibling, "You're my big brother. There's NOTHING I wouldn't do for you:" Sam had enounced slowly and meticulously, and I had

seen the quasi-incredulous smile on Dean's wounded face as Sam's words penetrated. The love and caring went both ways and

Dean's heart overflowed.

X

Of course, the boys were pawns in the hands of forces much more powerful than themselves; forces which nearly succeeded in

pulling them apart, but in the end their brotherly love and unbreakable bond had held fast against all adversities and now, mindful

of the need to trust no-one but each other, my boys just got on with it.

Each innocent life they managed to save was a plus; Dean had his brother back from the Cage; Sam's wall was holding and they

had never been as good with each other as they were now.  
>X<p>

All in all the Winchester brothers were as happy as they could ever be and I was now too, as Dean finally pulled up to a motel and

I fondly anticipated my well-earned rest.

"Come on! Wake up Sammy-sasquatch that you are, Dude!" were the last words I heard as I switched my batteries off and began

to recharged myself for whatever tomorrow would bring!

X

XXXX TBC XXXX


	4. Chapter 4

Cashing In.

XXXX

X

"Woo-Hoo," Dean whooped as he revved up my engine and sent me speeding off down the black ribbon of road like an arrow from a bow.

I submitted fondly, for I couldn't blame him for being on a high; the sky was an azure blue, the sun was shining and the fields on each side of the road carpeted with a variety of wild flowers that had turned this little piece of quiet country-side into a veritable Heaven.

Hell, no! A thousand times better than Heaven, if the boys' conversations about it were true. All they got from that supposedly happy place was nothing but more frustration and pain.

X

Well, no point in dwellin' on the past.

There's no Impala happier than me now. I got my boys back in my front seats, my bodywork all waxed up, my engine purring like a petted kitten, and Dean's racing me down the road like there's no tomorrow.

Holy…velocity, that boy sure loves to run!

X

As usual my Sammy is the complete contrast to his brother. Lounged back in the seat as calm as you like, half asleep, completely unbothered that Dean is tearing down the road like a mad-man.

Of course the boy knows that he's safe in Dean's hands. His big brother would never put him in danger if he could avoid it.

Yeah, yeah! I know my boys lead a dangerous life and like any mom I worry about them but they've always come back to me safe and sound, if at times a little battle scarred; so that keeps my fears at bay.

X

"Look at her go, Sammy!" Dean started to crow. "C'mon, Sam how can you sit there snoozing instead of admiring my Baby."

Sam just snorted. "I need to catch up on my sleep Dean. I was researching for most of the night while you snored louder than a constipated bear."

X

"Now, now, Sam. Each of us has our tasks; you know like Kirk and Spock in the old Star Trek show.

'Course, you're Spock, so you get to do all that ecstatic research and I'm like Kirk; I get to drink, gamble and have sex. All very tiring activities, you have to admit!"

X

I couldn't see them but I'm sure Sam rolled them eyes of his at Dean's words; that was about his only reaction nowadays to the stuff that Dean came out with; many years of it making him practically impervious to just about anything that came out of his brother's mouth.

He just folded his long frame into a more comfortable position and left Dean to his speed high.

X

X

The outskirts of a small town put an end to Dean's Ferrari moment as he was forced to slow me down. A parking ticket slapped on me by some bored cop was the last thing we needed.

Dean navigated the only main road and was ready to say goodbye to the one horse town when a bunch of handbills on the side of a building caught his eye. He pulled me over to study it better, before turning to his sleeping brother and gleefully elbowing him awake.

X

"Hey, Sam, Lookie here!"

X

You know my Sam has a patience with his big brother that goes beyond normal, He didn't even complain at being woken with Dean's elbow in his gut. He just huffed and got ready to hear what Dean's latest discovery was.

You know, I see a difference in my boys now; they've become real close; they seem to understand each other better and though they're as different as chalk and cheese, they still fit together seamlessly like a key in its lock.

Anyway, I digress!

X

Dean was leaning back to let Sam have a better look at the poster.

"Huh, Shooting Contest- First Prize 2000 dollars." Sam read out drowsily.

He glanced at Dean who was flashing a killer smile at the thought of such an easy way of increasing their cash flow.

"Easy pickings, Sammy. You know I'm the best sharpshooter on the planet!"

X

This time Sam didn't even bother to roll his eyes; in fact he thought it was a good idea. They needed the money and he knew his brother was a crack shot.

"No harm in trying," Sam smiled, infected by his brother's enthusiasm.

"You wanna have a go too Sam? You're a good shot." Dean conceded.

"No thanks, Dean I'll leave the honour of upholding the Winchester name to you," he grinned. "I'll come and cheer you on!

This time it was Dean who rolled his eyes.

Ach, my sweet boys!

X

We headed for the town's only motel and Dean left Sam to settle in as he went off to enter his name for the contest.

X

The next day dawned as sunny and clear as the previous and I snoozed comfortably in the shade of motel building. I was still half asleep when I heard the boys approaching; high as a kite both of them, smiling and bantering good style.

Dean had won the contest and brought home the two grand, as I knew he would.

X

"Did you see the look on their faces, Sammy when I won the last round? They were all so pissed that a stranger passing through took the prize and not one of the locals hicks," Dean hooted.

"You know what Dean; I've a funny feeling that the locals won't let it rest there. There was a lot of grumbling amongst the young guys looking on. I think we should get our stuff and head out of here pronto" Sam warned.

"Maybe you're right Sam," Dean acknowledged. "If looks could kill, I'd have been six feet under by now!"

X

Well that's the Winchesters for you, when something does go their way it always has down side to it too!

So twenty minutes later we were back on the road and if Dean had been on a high yesterday, now it was hyped up even further. As soon as he had the town in his rear-view mirror, he stepped on the gas and we flew along the road.

Sam settled back down into his comatose state of semi-awareness and Dean turned up his favourite song to ear-splitting levels.

As for me, I'm guaranteed plenty of gas for the next few days, my boys are safe in my steel body; there's no ghosts or ghouls on the horizon; what more could a girl ask for!

X

XXX The enD XXX


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five.

XXXXX

You know, when it gets to this time of the year, I start to slump into a funk blacker than my bodywork. Just colour me depressed!

My boys feel it too! They take quick glances at one another from underneath their eyelashes when they think they're not being observed.

Oh, boys! My heart breaks for them at times, and this is one of those.

X

Yep, that's right; it's nearly Christmas and as usual Dean begins to feel the pull of family; the tree, the presents, the egg-nog, and I watch as Sam retreats into himself, for Christmas has never had much meaning for him, probably because his memories weren't of the best.

He empathizes with his brother though, and knows that all it would take is a word from him and Dean would start planning out their day, but the poor kid holds back.

X

I remember the time Sam gave Dean a surprise Christmas. He and I rushed around like crazies, trying to find a tree and some baubles.

Well, a friendly star must have been shining down on us that night for we found a scraggly tree in the most unexpected place and I still remember how happy Sam was that he could do this for his brother at the very last moment.

That evening Sam asked Dean if he would go out for food and Dean, who of course, was looking for an excuse to go and buy Sam a Christmas present, jumped at the chance.

While he was gone Sam did what he could to make the crappy motel room as Christmassy as possible and when Dean and I arrived back, the kid had managed to get everything ready.

X

I was parked right outside the window and I can tell you that the tears welled up in my eyes when I saw Dean's surprised expression turn into joy as he realised what Sam had done. Poor Sammy didn't quite know how to go about the entire Christmas spirit thing but he sure knew how to spice up the egg-nog and I laughed at Dean's face as he gulped down the fiery liquid.

I watched as they sat down next to each other on the couch, a little embarrassed by the unusualness of the situation, even my Dean who gets embarrassed VERY rarely! If I told you some of the things that boy has gotten up to on my seats throughout the years, you wouldn't believe me!

Anyhow, there they were, my sweet boys, looking everywhere but at each other until Dean broke the ice by pulling out two badly wrapped presents for Sam who began to go all misty-eyed, bless his soul; and then Dean, my bad-ass hunter who's as woobie as a kid when it comes to his little brother, couldn't hide his pleasure that Sam bought him something too.

X

God, my steel heart wept for them!

My boys deserved better than that; but then watching them side by side, I truly believed that they couldn't have been any happier than they were at that moment.

That's where they wanted to be, Sam next to Dean and Dean next to Sam. They both knew what was going to happen to Dean; in a few months he would be on a one way ticket to Hell but at that moment, on that couch, watching the game on TV, no two people could have been happier or more fulfilled.

X

X

Well that was a few years ago now, but it's the only Christmas I can remember them having together. When they were kids, most Christmases John and I were out on jobs and my poor babies were left all alone.

Blast that man!

At times I would have been happy having my tyres slashed so that he would have been forced to stay home on Christmas Day! I know John loved his sons but his odyssey to find his wife's killer had become an obsession and his boys came in a poor second.

X

I wonder where he is now.

I hope he's able to look down on his kids and see what marvellous men they have become.

Huh! No thanks to him though!

My boys grew up real good all by themselves, Sam had Dean and Dean had Sam. That's really all they needed then and it's all they need now too.

X

X

I perked up my ears. Sam was speaking.

"Um, Dean." I heard him say. "You remember that year we had Christmas before you went to Hell."

"Yeah?"

"Why don't we do something this time too? We've always been up to our necks in crap since then." Sam said casually.

"You serious, Sammy?" I heard Dean answer in disbelief. "You're the boy who hates Christmas!"

"Yeah," Sam huffed "and you're the boy who loves it, so I guess we can meet somewhere in the middle."

"You're on Sammy! You won't change your mind now, will you?" Dean asked, not a hundred percent certain his brother was really serious.

"No Dean, I think we deserve a little holiday after all we've been through, but this time I'll leave all the details to you. Whatever you come up with is fine with me, well nearly everything," Sam cautioned, smiling.

"Your such a princessy spoil-sport, Sammy, " Dean huffed, but there was no mistaking his pleasure at Sam's idea, nor the love for his little brother that those words conveyed.

"Good…that's settled then." Sam acknowledged ,as he curled himself up and leant his head on my side-window ready to snatch some sleep.

X

XXX The enD XXXX


	6. Chapter 6

Missing.

x

I'd never been so glad to get to a motel as I was tonight.

Sam and Dean had been going at it for hours and I was getting to the point of complete exasperation

I don't even remember how the discussion began, but things were really going downhill as Dean was dragging up the whole Ruby fiasco.

"I told you back then not to trust a demon. You should have listened Sam. Demons lie, you know that!"

"She saved my life Dean! Then I thought it was the only way to get revenge on Lilith for what she had done to you. She had her hell-hounds tear you apart before my very eyes, if you've forgotten. I wanted to make her pay," Sam persisted, his voice rising.

Of course Dean answered back and it all escalated into one big shouting match. Boy, I just wanted to smack their heads together but it's a bit difficult when you have doors instead of arms!

They were still bickering when Dean pulled into the parking lot of a motel and went to get a room.

x

Hell, I love those two but was I ever glad to see their asses disappear inside and out of my sight.

Peace at last!

x

I wasn't worried because they wouldn't be my boys if they didn't have a go at each other now and then; by tomorrow it would have all blown over and they would be shuffling about with hang-dog expressions on their faces trying to apologize to each other.

They'd be good for a day or two and then find something else to bitch about!

Dean had parked me with my hood facing their window and through the curtains I could see Sam was still gesticulating, his arms open wide while Dean threw his duffel on the bed, a scowl on his face.

I sighed and settled down for the night. Winchesters!

x

I was enjoying some well earned peace and quiet when I heard a faint scratching on my door.

It wasn't Dean as the lights were off in the room and I had seen both boys settle down to sleep.

I couldn't believe my ears when I felt someone picking the lock and quietly slipping into the driving seat, leaning over to unlock the passenger door.

This was a car-napping! Someone was trying to steal me.

These two must have a death-wish for when Dean caught them and I had no doubt that he would, his anger would explode like a thousand fiery suns!

I have to say the thieves were smart. The guy took off the brake and I could feel someone pushing me slowly from behind. The parking lot was on a slight incline and I slid down silent and easy onto the road. The second man jumped in as my engine revved up and we hit the open road at full speed.

I was well and truly screwed.

x

By the time morning came we could be anywhere and the boys would have to work overtime to find me.

To my surprise the two didn't go far and I found myself inside what seemed a mechanic's workshop.

They got out and covered me with a tarp, talking in hushed tones.

"Our client asked for a 1967 Impala and when I saw this one drive into town I couldn't believe my luck, man. We'll transfer her in a couple of hours inside the closed truck and get her to Las Vegas where they'll do her over to the client's specs," he congratulated himself.

"Yeah, these beauties are pretty rare now and he'll pay well to get it," the other agreed satisfied

x

Do me over! Las Vegas!  
>Come on Sammy, I mentally urged my youngest. I always hate it when he suffers from nightmares and can't sleep but I hope tonight he gets a real doozy and needs to go out to the dispenser and get a soda!<p>

As the hours passed in the dark under the tarp, and no-one arrived to rescue me, I was beginning to lose hope.

Once in Vegas and with my connotations changed, the boys would never find me.

An intermittent buzzing in my glove compartment jacked my optimism up a notch. It was the trill of one of John's old phones which Dean still kept juiced up.  
>It had to be the boys for I doubted that any of John's old acquaintances would be looking for him in the middle of the night after all these years.<p>

I don't know if such an old phone had a GPS, but I was sure my Sammy would figure out exactly where I was.

x

A few moments after the phone went silent, I heard a truck pull up outside, then the door opening and the voices of the two kidnappers.

The tarp was pulled back as the men looked me over again.

"She's a real beauty!" the taller guy crowed. "Yeah, we were lucky to find an Impala in such a perfect state of conservation."

You two douche-bags don't know that I'm Dean's pride and joy, I growled to myself, and I don't envy you when Dean arrives!

x

Right on cue the door was flung open and my two boys stalked through, calm and collected as if they were going to a tea-party.

"Well now," Dean said as he came forward smirking. "I believe you've mistakenly taken something that belongs to me. And that's a very naughty thing to do!"

I could see Sam standing by the door, his Taurus pointed unwaveringly at the two thieves.

Dean waved them to the side with his pistol, indicating that the two should move away from me towards the exit.

He gave me an all-inclusive glance and nodded satisfied on seeing I was unharmed.

x

"I hope you're both going to apologise before I take back my property," he smiled turning back to the men.

I saw the two exchange a glance. They weren't going to let me go without a fight.

I felt a little sorry for them but not much, when Dean launched himself forward like a speeding arrow and landed a powerful uppercut to a chin, and not to leave the other without attention, he followed up with a second crunching punch to his partner.

The two douches reeled back but after the surprise wore off they moved forward threateningly.

x

"I wouldn't do that," Sam's calm voice invaded the room. "Unless you want me to blow a hole in you."

"Now little brother," Dean objected. "You wouldn't shoot two unarmed men now, would you?"

Sam inclined his head to the side as if considering the problem. "Yeah. I think I would," he answered seriously.

Dean opened his arms wide. "Okay, this is what we'll do. I need my morning work-out so my brother is going to put down his gun and we'll have a little sparring practice. If you win, you take the car. How's that sound?"

The thieves watched cagily until they saw Sam holster his gun and then threw themselves onto Dean who looked positively happy as he beat the guys up and down the place.

Sam stood by amused, hanging on to one or the other if they came too close, sending them back into the fight.

I cringed at the pounding of flesh on flesh, but before long two men were down and one on his feet, albeit wobbling a little but with a satisfied smirk plastered on his face.

x

Dean looked up at his brother. "Not bad, eh Sammy?"

"Yeah, Dean. You're gonna be covered in bruises tomorrow but I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, " Sam grinned, shaking his head at his zany sibling.

"What are we going to do with these two beauties?" the younger Winchester asked, indicating the unconscious men lying on the floor.

"We'll tie them up in the truck and park it in front of the Cop Station. I bet my Baby isn't the first car they've stolen."

Before long they were expertly trussed up in the van.

x

"You got a pen, Sam?"

Sam rummaged in his jacket and pulled out a black marker which Dean used to write across the men's fore-heads. "We're car thieves Arrest us"

"Mm, not bad Dean but you forgot to put the periods at the end of the phrases. What did they teach you in school, man?"

Dean pursed his lips and added two dots "Happy now, Sammy?"

x

Dean parked the van a few yards from the station, then sneaked out leaving the engine running and turned the corner to where Sam was waiting.

"Go Sam," Dean urged. "Let's go get our stuff and head out."

"We were lucky, Dean that Dad's phone was juiced up, otherwise we'd have had a much harder time tracing the Impala," Sam observed.

"Na, Sam. I would've found her wherever she was."

"Right, Sherlock," Sam huffed.

"You saying I couldn't, dude? I'm a bloodhound, I can find anything!" Dean crowed. "Come on, what have I ever looked for that I haven't found?"

"Well, how about the time we were on the trail of that shape shifter and you couldn't even…...!"

I sighed. They were off again, bickering about something else, but I knew that deep down it was just their way of sayin' "I love you, bro!"

X

The enD


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

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Everyone who knows about me and the boys, also knows that we'd do anything for each other, including dying, or in my case being totally trashed and rebuilt practically from scratch, but Dean and I are**_ so_** gonna have_** words**_ over this!

I mostly get by fine without a voice; my eldest and I understand each other like no other, but if I was able to speak, I'd be screaming right now.

x

I _**hate**_ this garage! It gives me the shivers. It's dark and it's cold and it's lonely.

All I can make out are the black shadows of the old guys parked all around me. It's like hanging out in a grave-yard with a bunch of ghosts just ready to come to life.

I'm an outdoors gal, always have been ever since I came off the assembly line.

I love the wide open spaces, the starry skies, the boys keeping me company on a cold night stretched out on my hood a beer in hand enjoying each other's company, the three of us in synch with the world, but _**this;**_ _**this**_ is like being buried alive. It has got to stop!

The boys used to park me just outside the doors of the 'bunker' as they call it, and I was fine with that.

The building's in a nice place and I got to have a great view of the panorama.

The endless expanse of fields and pastures comforted me, I felt part of the nature that buzzed and flew and burrowed all around me.

x

Okay, sometime a a cheeky bird would mistake me for his personal toilet and leave me a little bit splattered, but hearing Dean swear and curse when he came along and saw the violation to my bodywork made up for it.

Sam would get that little smile on his face he has when his brother goes overboard with the F words!

Plus out here I was always ready and on the alert if the boys needed me in a hurry.

x

I so wish Dean had never discovered this damn garage, and _**worse**_ that he thought I'd be better off down here with these mummies than I was out on the road.

He'd been over the moon when he'd found all these old cars and to be honest I felt a tiny twinge of that old green-eyed monster, jealousy, nibbling at my innards. It hurt me to see him cooing over the old dummies.

I have to say though my Sammy was less than impressed.

He took one glance at the garage full of cars, turned down his lips into his trade-mark upside down smile and leaned back against my side as if to comfort me.

Sammy has always been the more empathic of my boys, he must have felt my unhappiness with the damn garage and with Dean's enthusiasm for any car that wasn't me.

X

Dean thought he was doing me a favour, I get it.

Down here I'd be sheltered from the elements, out of the heat, rain and snow and I'd also be hidden away from any evil guys who might spot me parked outside what seemed to all effects a derelict building, but there's only so much a girl can take; and being buried alive down here kinda draws the line for me.

It takes a lot to piss me off but I wasn't going to remain another second in this coffin.

Now you're gonna tell me an Impala doesn't have much she can do to get herself out of a place like this, but you'd be surprised!

x

x

Dean stirred uneasily under the covers, something on the edge of his subconscious causing him to awaken.

"Who freaking set the alarm-clock?" he grunted as he opened bleary eyes, only to remember that he didn't own one.

Who the hell was making that noise then, he wondered,.

The bunker was ghost-free and even if it did have a resident ghost, he doubted it would be announcing itself in such a noisy manner.

He was still debating the point when the door flew open and Sam was framed in the doorway, his head an inch from hitting the top. Freaking gigantic little brothers!

x

"Dean!"

"I hear it Sam," Dean replied pulling on his pants. "Sounds like some banshee decided to pay us a visit and ruin my beauty sleep, but the old crone is gonna pay. Mark my words."

"Dean," Sam repeated around his bitch-face. "You honestly think that noise is coming from a banshee?"

Dean smiled up at him. "No, I don't Sammy. I just love to see you bitch-face me. Nothing like a good one first thing in the morning to wake you up!"

Sam's face scrunched up into an even deeper scowl. Sammy never failed to amuse him; well he added mentally, except when he frustrated the hell out of him!

x

"It's coming from underneath; must be the garage," Sam added.

Now that Dean was completely awake, the noise seemed terribly familiar.

"It's the Impala," he said. "That's her hooter. Something must be wrong with the battery, but with the engine switched off, I can't understand why it should go off like that."

"Maybe she's possessed," Sam offered, only to receive a Dean-patented scowl, which if not a bitch-face was near enough.

"You're joking, dude," he replied as they made their way along the corridor to the door that led down to the garage.

"Wouldn't be the first time, " Sam shrugged, but he didn't really believe that. It was just nice to bait his big brother!

X

Dean flicked the switch, illuminating the garage in a yellowish light.

Down here the noise was ear-splitting, the echoes in the cavernous void causing the noise to multiply a hundred-fold.

"What the hell," Dean mouthed to his brother over the honking, as both brothers made their way to the Impala.

Dean pulled open the door to check the dash, but the engine was definitely switched off and there was no way the horn should be making that damn noise.

"Come on, baby," Dean whispered. "What's going on?"

X

x

Impala

...

I was sorry to have pulled my boys from their sleep but I had to get out of here and this was the only way I had of making my feelings known.

Dean came over and inspected me,but there was nothing for him to find. My horn was honking because I wanted it too. It was one of the few things I could do; my battery was my own and I could use it as I wished!

Dean looked over the top of my roof encountering his brother's eyes.

"There's nothing wrong, Sam," he shouted over the noise. "No reason for the Impala to be making this racket!"

Sam thought for a moment. I could almost hear the gears turning in his brain before he spoke.

"What if it's a call for help, Dean? Or a protest of some kind?"

x

Dean glanced at him as if he was nuts. "A call for help? You're joking right, Sam?"

"You can't find any scientific reason why she's making this noise, Dean, so..."

"Oh come on, Sammy. You don't really think... "

Sam shrugged. "We deal in the supernatural every day. Maybe something rubbed off on the Impala too."

x

"Go, Sammy, " I smiled to myself. " My empathic little one had got the point.

X

"So, just what is she trying to tell us, brainiac?" Dean said sarcastically.

"You know what, Dean," Sam replied pursing his lips. "This place gives me the creeps. Maybe the car gets the creepy vibes too. Could be she doesn't like it here."

Dean gaped at him as if he had grown an extra head.

"Sam, I know I treat the Impala as if she were alive but...," he wavered, passing a hand over his face. "I _**do **_realise she's a machine, dude."

"Fine," Sam answered. "Let's take her outside then. We can get a better look at her in the open air. Sun's up and the light's better than in here."

Dean rolled his eyes, nevertheless he got in and switched on the engine; all the while I continued to honk as loud as possible.

X

X

As soon as the car exited the garage into the fresh morning air, the deafening noise stopped as if by magic, causing Sam to smirk at his big brother with all the superiority of having been in the right.

"Dude," Dean sputtered. "What the friggin' hell! No way!"

He glanced over at Sam, who still had the smirk plastered on his face.

Dean put the car in reverse, not yet ready to accept his little brother's theory, and backed the Impala into the garage. No sooner had her four wheels entered it than the honking started up again, and Sam's smirk got impossibly bigger!

After a series of back and forth, during which each time the Impala entered the garage she would honk and each time she exited the honking would stop, Dean had to accept what was happening.

His 'mechanical vehicle' did _**not**_ want to remain in that garage!

x

Dean deftly manoeuvred her to where he used to park before, and the brothers got out.

The elder Winchester shook his head as he contemplated his now placid baby, not a honk to be heard.  
>He looked up in confusion at Sam.<p>

"You really think she was protesting because she didn't like being down in the garage?" he asked.

"Nobody likes to be shut in," Sam replied. "You've always treated the Impala as a human, maybe some of that transferred itself to her. Remember, **_supernatural_,** Dean! That's our daily bread!"

"Yeah, whatever," he passed a caressing hand on the Impala's bodywork. "If she prefers being out here, then that's where she'll stay," Dean affirmed.

x

He clapped a hand on his sibling's shoulder.

"Come on, Mr. Empathy. Let's go rustle up some breakfast. You deserve the Dean Winchester Morning Special for figuring out how to keep my baby happy."

Sam smiled back.

Dean had become a good cook since he had adopted the bunker's kitchen, not that he hadn't fed Sam all of his life anyway, but now he did it because it gave him pleasure to see Sam's surprise at the goodies he came up with, and Sam was fine with that.

Dean's cooking had improved by leaps and bounds, and Sam would coo all over it if it made his big brother happy.

"Give it all you've got Dean. I could eat a bear, I'm so hungry."

Dean grinned back. "Well then, one extra-large Sasquatch-sized breakfast coming up!"

x

x

Impala

...

I smiled as they walked off towards the building, shoulders touching. My sweet boys. They had been through so much but maybe fate would let them have a little respite though I didn't hold out much hope.

They were Winchesters after all!

x

As for me, I was more than happy. I glanced around enjoying the view; the fresh air caressing me, the birds whistling. Life was good.

I was out of that garage.

My horn was a bit over-used and aching, but it had been worth it.

X

The enD


End file.
